GM Once Approved A Mid-Engine Cadillac
As the eighth-generation Chevy Corvette C8 handily proves, General Motors is more than capable of producing a modern, mid-engine high-performance machine. Funny enough, The General previously approved the development of a mid-engine Cadillac model in the latter aughts, as confirmed by former GM vice chairman Bob Lutz.
During a recent interview with The Detroit News and “Car Radio with Henry Payne,” Lutz discussed GM’s plans to produce a mid-engine Cadillac model, a concept that got the green light around 2007.
Mid-engine Cadillac rendering, by GM Authority
In the interview, Lutz discussed GM’s previous plans to produce a new mid-engine Corvette, which the former GM exec states would have utilized an all-new architecture and would have looked “smoother” and more “angular” than the current C8. However, Lutz also mentions that there was “going to be a Cadillac version using a supercharged Northstar engine.”
The supercharged Northstar engine which Lutz is referring to is likely the 4.4L LC3 V8, or perhaps some variant of the LC3. The LC3 V8 was previously found in the 2006 through 2009 Cadillac STS-V, in which it was rated at 469 horsepower and 439 pound-feet of torque, and the 2006 through 2009 Cadillac XLR-V, in which it was rated at 443 horsepower and 414 pound-feet of torque.
In addition to the supercharged Northstar V8, Lutz indicates that the proposed mid-engine Cadillac would have had “a lot of stylistic differences” compared to the mid-engine Corvette upon which it was based, while also offering a more “gentlemanly” and “refined” driving experience compared to the “rawer” Corvette, the latter of which would have been “a little bit noisier, a little bit harsher to drive.”
So what happened? Well, according to Lutz, the project was shelved in the face of budgetary constraints and imminent bankruptcy, with the all-new mid-engine architecture billed at around $900 million.
Mid-engine Cadillac rendering, by GM Authority
Of course, this proposed mid-engine Cadillac isn’t the first time GM has played around with the idea of building a Caddy with the engine in the middle. The Cadillac Cien concept from 2002 certainly comes to mind. Now, though, with the success of the mid-engine Corvette C8, one has to wonder – is GM once again toying with the idea of a mid-engine Cadillac sports car, this time based on the C8? We certainly think it’s a good idea.
SOURCE: GM AUTHORITY